Debate continues on Seminole Tribe's gaming compact

Friday, February 13, 2009  

Lawmakers in Florida continued a series of hearings on a Class III gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.

On Thursday, non-Indians got their say. The horse racing industry said the compact will lead to the end of their business.

"Ratify this compact, put us out of business, and for the next 25 years, you have the chance of seeing zero," Dan Adkins, the CEO and vice president of Mardi Gras Gaming, told the Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review. It was the race track industry that went to voters in South Florida to ask them to authorize slot machines, a move that led the Seminoles to seek a Class III compact.

Regarding competition, tribal leaders told lawmakers and The Palm Beach Post that the Seminoles impose a bed "tax" at its hotels in Fort Lauderdale in order to maintain a level playing field with non-Indian businesses. But tourism officials denied asking the tribe to charge a fee and said they asked the tribe to stop calling it a "tax" since none of the money goes to the state.

Get the Story:
Parimutuels Warn State (The Tampa Tribune 2/13)
Pari-mutuels: level playing field with Seminole tribe (The Naples Daily News 2/13)
Jobs become focus of Seminole-tracks' casino battle (The Miami Herald 2/13)
Lauderdale officials deny asking Seminoles to charge bed tax (The Palm Beach Post 2/13)
Casino brings more jobs to Immokalee (WBBH 2/12)